Arsenal 5-0 Chelsea: What Were The Main Talking Points As The Gunners Make A Heavyweight Title Statement?

Making what was a stunning title statement on Tuesday night, Arsenal stormed their way to a 5-0 romp against London rivals Chelsea at the Emirates.

Opening the scoring after just four minutes as former Brighton star Leandro Trossard powered home and notched a fourth goal in his previous six appearances, the Gunners ran rampant in north London.

Although Mikel Arteta’s young squad might have failed to double their advantage prior to the interval, they came flying out of the traps when returning from the half-time break.

Alongside defender Ben White notching a remarkable Premier League brace, ex-Chelsea ace Kai Havertz came back to haunt his former employers with two goals in the space of just seven minutes.

Causing the Blues’ leaky defence a string of issues here and creating an abundance of chances on either side of the half-time break, the Gunners couldn’t have wished for a better night at the Emirates.

With Chelsea missing out on the chance to claim an immediate response following last weekend’s FA Cup defeat against Manchester City, the west London outfit also saw their fading European ambitions get hit with a significant blow here.

On a night when Arsenal widened their buffer at the top of the Premier League table to three points, we have taken a look at the main talking points.

Can’t write off Arsenal yet

While Arsenal might have seen their title hopes take a potential blow last week as they suffered a 2-0 loss at home against Aston Villa, the Gunners simply can’t be written off just yet.

Certainly bouncing back from their Champions League heartbreak and clinching consecutive domestic victories over the past few days, Tuesday’s hosts are still dreaming of the chance to make real history this season.

With it no secret that all of their eggs are now placed in this year’s Premier League title scrap, Arsenal made what was a heavyweight statement here.

Putting in what was arguably a season-best performance in front of a packed Emirates, the Gunners were at their tantalising best on Tuesday night as they briefly extended their buffer at the top of the table to three points.

Suffering just a single Premier League defeat since opening the New Year and now collecting 13 points from their last five showdowns against Chelsea, Arsenal’s stunning display here demonstrated that they aren’t showing any signs of a stutter.

Poch comes crashing back down to earth

While Chelsea might have appeared to have turned a much-needed corner on either side of March’s international break, the Blues have certainly come crashing back down to earth over the past few days.

Hit with FA Cup frustration at Wembley over the weekend as they suffered a 1-0 loss at the hands of Manchester City, Mauricio Pochettino was calling on an immediate response here.

However, unable to call upon attacking talisman Cole Palmer on Tuesday night due to an illness, Chelsea put in a nightmare performance in north London and watched their outside European dreams take a major blow.

Already shipping 35 goals since opening the New Year and continuing to gain a reputation for their issues at the back, there will once again be plenty of speculation over Pochettino’s long-term future at Stamford Bridge past the summer.

Reportedly dealing with player unrest behind the scenes in west London and winning just a trio of their previous 14 appearances on the road, Tuesday’s guests will be facing a real backlash.

Havertz haunts his former employers

While there might have been plenty of raised eyebrows around north London last summer when Arsenal welcome Havertz across the capital for a fee in the region of £55million, the German international is enjoying a stellar 2024 at the Emirates.

Although the one-time Bayer Leverkusen starlet might have played a vital role as Chelsea claimed just a second Champions League crown three years ago, Havertz largely struggled to find much stability at Stamford Bridge.

However, while the 24-year-old might have initially struggled to find his feet at the Emirates, Havertz has continued to shine in his false nine role.

Receiving a string of plaudits from Arteta and bagging a classy second-half brace against his former teammates here, the 44-cap international has now recorded 12 goals this season and has cemented his spot as a fan favourite in north London.

With Arteta making it clear that Havertz has a leading role in Arsenal’s charge to claim a first Premier League title since 2004, the ex-Chelsea star is certainly living up to his price tag.

Match Report

Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliva, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Rice, Partey, Odegaard, Sake, Havertz, Trossard

Subs: Jorginho, Martinelli, Jesus, Vieira, Zinchenko

Chelsea: Petrovic, Gilchrist, Disasi, Badiashile, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Madueke, Gallagher, Mudryk, Jackson

Subs: Sterling, Silva, Chalobah, Casadei

Goals: Trossard (4’), White (52’, 70’), Havertz (57’, 65’)

Yellow Cards: Arsenal: Trossard, White – Chelsea: Gilchrist, Cucurella

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Simon Hooper